Just for Show

The house that I stayed at in the BUSH of Kakumat. Parents bedroom on the left and kids on the right.

Todd and I in the garden/farm with some of the workers at Kakumat.

Some more of the workers at Kakumat.

This is our nightly meal with the drilling crew. It is cornmeal (right) and Ugali (left). The cornmeal is tough to eat because it has no taste and little nutritional value. Ugali had cabbage, potatoes, beans, and some flavoring sauce.

This is our daily lunch meal. Akai calls it Beans and Corns. The beans are tolerable, but the maize is solid and reminds me of cattle feed.

FDA approved food storage under our tree in Nakor with the drilling crew.

Three boys who sat beside me at church in Nakor.

The church service in Nakor. It is under the biggest shade tree we could find. The order of the service is listed on the blackboard. Church contains about 10 items, 3 of which are 30 minute sermons. One is done on the first reading. The second is done on Communion and Tithing. The third is a separate message done on a 2nd reading.

Me getting water from the garden...

...for my 5 star bath with complementary thorns and peeping goats.

I know you are thinking...why a picture of his dirty feet? Well something hit me in my bible reading. In a hot desert area of Turkana with all the walking and treking in sandals, one thought popped into my head...

...the washing of feet.

Can you imagine walking all day and then reclining for a meal with your dirty feet by the very food you were about to eat? That is something we do every meal and also something the disciples experienced. In John 13, the scene is set and it has been redefined for me...

12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, i“Do you understand what I have done to you?  13jYou call me kTeacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, lyou also ought to wash one another's feet.  15For I have given you an example, mthat you also should do just as I have done to you.  16Truly, truly, I say to you, na servant1 is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  17If you know these things, oblessed are you if you do them.  18pI am not speaking of all of you; I know qwhom I have chosen. But rthe Scripture will be fulfilled,1 s‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’  19tI am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.  20Truly, truly, I say to you, uwhoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” I can't imagine the disciples feelings...my dirty, muddy, toe jammy, grimy, sweaty, dusty feet ...my Savior, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Lamb of God just washed those feet. Wow... ...what experience it would have been and what a challenge is poses for me and you

Digging the Well! Digging the Well! Digging the Well, hey, hey, hey, hey!

So for the past 7 days I have been in the BUSH of Nakor digging two wells.  God has blessed me with this experience and it has been great to spend time with God in a primitive environment. Here are some pictures that highlight some of the past week. It’s only a small sample, but I hope you enjoy! Oh yeah, the Cat Daddy made it to Africa!!

This is Todd and I by the river that flows through Nakor. To get to the area where we dig wells you must cross this river. Because it had rained recently, on Saturday it was up to our mid thighs and by 7 days later it was down below out ankles. The water in this river is muddy. People drink this dirty water, which is why there is need for wells to provide clean drinking water.

This is the basic layout of the well. The tripod supports the metal poles that go down through the casing to dig the underneath clay, sand, and soil. The casing must go down and have 20 feet of water surrounded by it, so that the well can be continuously pumped and sustained. The garden that provided food for the area is in the back left. The well provides water so the people can grow better food for a balanced diet, which improves their standard of living.

This is my first learning experience of trying to dig a well. Akai is the field boss who is helping me. We work in teams of two. Akai is very comical and he loves to sing, "Digging the well, digging the well, digging the well, hey, hey, hey, hey," while we are digging down. Oh yeah, he has a very Yoda like voice to go with his 6'3'' stature, which makes his singing very entertaining.

We were able to witness our first sheep slaughter ( I have a video of the whole thing). The guy in the yellow hat later drank the blood. This is the true Africa, unedited and uncut, raw and real. We later ate almost every part of the sheep from the fatty tail to its head. Every part was eaten and the skin was sold.

The crew gets a break from 1 to 3 everyday and the disappeared two days in a row and would come back with fish, so one day we got to experience this for ourselves. Turkana are amazing fishermen. A fish would swim down the muddy river and then everyone would take off after it; it was a team effort. Once they were close, they would shove their nets into the water and try to trap it along the bottom. Some were skilled enough to just wait in the water and as a fish swam by, they would just grab it with their hands. They looked like crocodiles lurking in the water. After the catch they just throw the fish up onto the muddy bank and then move on to the next target. Two days in a row they came back with 20 plus fish to eat! Primitive fishing actually happens!

Finally, I got to experience fishing for myself. Before we went Akai warned us abuot dangerous 3 horned catfish because they will cut you and bite. Todd and I didn't believe they existed because the other guys in the crew only caught Nile Perch. So we began our fishing adventure and trying to chase down fish. I chased and ran all over that river, down and up. I was exhausted after 40 minutes of fishing and in minute 39 I finally got one. I shoved down my net and almost freaked out because I had no idea what to do now. A small boy came over reached into the basket and then bit the fish 3 times. I had no idea why, but then...he showed me the fish. It was a 3 horned Nile Catfish!

The BUSH

The BUSH |boŏ sh |

Noun [place]

where the women are men , goats and donkeys run wild, pooping your pants will

happen, and everything you need is at LEAST a mile away

God is incredibly awesome! The past 3 days I spent in the BUSH of Turkana. Life is so different there than in America, which has its pros and cons. The typical day of the Turkana goes like this:

Male

Wake up

Drink echai

Watch goats go to pasture

Lay under tree

Eat Lunch

Sleep Under tree

Eat dinner

Make sure goats come home

Sit at gate of fence

Go to sleep

Female

Wake up before man

Breastfeed baby

Go get firewood

Go get water

Breastfeed baby

Make echai

Clean the children

Breastfeed baby

Wash dishes

Sweep out the hut and pick up mats

Lay out mat under tree for man

Breastfeed baby

Start fire for lunch

Go get water

Breastfeed baby

Move mat for man

Serve echai

Mix and make food

Cook food

Serve lunch

Breastfeed baby

Clean up after lunch

Wash dishes

Breastfeed baby

Tend to hut and children

Move mat for man

Get water and firewood for dinner

Breastfeed baby

Make and cook dinner

Serve dinner

Breastfeed baby

Clean up after dinner

Lay out mats for sleep

Entertain children

Go to sleep

So the days of the male and female Turkana have very different roles than the men and women in America. It’s sad. The men don’t help at all. We asked our translator Sammy: which do you value more the goats or their women more? His response…”that is a tough question and I don’t know the answer to, maybe.” (He always says maybe at the end of a sentence).

These people love Jesus, but have not let that love infiltrate their personal live and old traditions. It makes me wonder, are there areas of the American culture and traditions that we haven’t let the love of Jesus affect and infiltrate?

Learning and observing the culture of the Turkana in the BUSH the past few days has been a life changing experience. I have walked many many many miles, saw farming progress due to the new wells that have been dug, observed children in school, barely eaten anything, and there were two things that stuck out to me.

First, the children of Turkana want to live a healthy better life. They get so excited and love to sing and dance to songs about Jesus. Even in the hardship of their current lives, they have let the joy and hope of Jesus fill theirs.

Second, I have never been in a place so quiet that you can hear a rooster crow over a mile away, until the BUSH. It was so peaceful and quiet at night. The stars were amazing and the moon soo bright. Those quiet moments turned into hours as I looked around at the desert land and mountains

…just the BUSH, the Bible, and some of the words to a song that kept playing in my head

Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

Savior

He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of Salvation

He rose & conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

My Almost African Princess

Sightseeing of England was awesome and I have lots of pictures of that experience. I was going to write this entry on that experience with the events of the past 4 days, but my mind is just exploding because since Thursday at 7 am Turkana time, my world has literally been rocked.

 Looking back on the past three days I wouldn’t change a thing and right now I’m kind of missing that hard woven mat on the ground of that mud hut. I can only imagine what experience the BUSH is going to bring, so please pray for rain and my survival in the BUSH.

So once our group arrived in Nairobi, we “hurried” strategically through immigration and customs. Todd and I thought that we would be staying in Nairobi the whole day upon our arrival at 7 am, little did we know that that mindset was about to change.

We had heard rumors about Gene Morden, some that he was the man of men or an Africa version of Crocodile Dundee. So when we first saw him, he totally exceeded all those expectations and pictures of him we had seen in our mind. He was dressed heard to toe in green and tan full on Safari African wear, minus the hat. He looked bigger, tougher, and even meaner than the pictures we had conceived in our minds’ eyes. This description does not even do him justice.

So nonchalantly we go up to him thinking that we would be spending a relaxing day in Nairobi when he begins to grab Todd’s bag and says we have a plane to catch.  SO we hurry with our bags behind him to a manly rugged looking land cruiser with the works. Huge grill in the front, luggage racks on top and heavy duty army green seat covers on the inside. We then knew we were in for the real deal.

We then learn that we had to catch a small plane to Lodwar. As we our on our way to the smaller airport we meet Mike, who will be here on a mission trip for a month, and Abraham, Gene and Melba’s adopted Turkana son. We then arrive at the airport, not sure what to expect being completely off guard. We then precede to get on this tiny bi-plane and fly to Lodwar.

My arrival in Lodwar was…lets just say picture the worst paved road for about half a mile you’ve ever driven on plopped right in the middle of a desert. That was our landing strip. Literally, I had now arrived in the middle of nowhere. We then hopped in another decked out land cruiser and headed for the house. I could not believe where I was; I was like pinch me I’m seeing things. We then arrived at the Compound. Gene wasn’t sure what the plan would be for us on our first day. We started out by going into town for lunch, where I had my first experience with boiled goat, yumJ…minus the fact that you had to eat around the tiny chunks of bone they don’t care to take out for you. After eating we went back to the Compound and then received about an hour of language training. Simple phases like, good morning, my name is…, I am from America, and “what’s up.” Immediately following that hour we were instructed to pack a back for a few days. I did so then hopped in a car and went along for a drive.

We then were being sent to live with the nationals, well it didn’t actually hit me what was happening until I was standing outside a mud hut meeting the family I would be staying with for the next three days with my poorly packed bag, a jug of clean water, and a few phrases of Turkana. ”Hi” and “what’s up” were only going to get me so far. I was about to learn what it would take to survive in Turkana, Kenya 3 and a half hours after getting off the plane that morning.

I would be staying at John and Margret Ejore’s house. They spoke little to no Englsih and only knew simple commands. I was instructed by hand jestures to sits outside the house on a woven mat in the sand. Luckily after 20 minutes or so of sitting there the guy who had done our language teaching showed up. Sammy and I then sat outside the house on a woven mat. I was now the latest attraction in town, it's not every day to see a “muzungo” on the outskirts of Lodwar. I was now the minority. Little kids were staring. The shy ones would push the littler ones toward me and they would giggle…I don’t even know if I could explain it. I was smiling soo big; it was just soo fascinating.

I have many stories that were the highlights of the next few days. I have soo much to tell, but not enough space or time to put it all on this blog. Here is one that I know many of you will appreciate.

So Sammy and I are sitting there on the mat and all these Turkana children and mothers are coming up asking me questions about where I’m from and why I’m there, keep in mind Sammy is translating much of this for me, so it’s confusing and hard to understand what he and the people are saying. At this point of sitting there I now have a Turkana name “Emoru” meaning Mountain given to me by Margret. This one lady, who I later learn was drunk, starts asking me these same questions. 

She asks where I am from and I respond that I am from America.

Then she asks why I am here. Thinking of a clever answer, I say because I love God and love people.

She then asks if I would take all the children standing around to America. I say with another clever answer if I had money that I would gladly take the children to America.

She then asks if I am single (I think this convo is getting a little bit personal). And I respond, yes that I am.

She then instructs me to a young girl about 13 I think, assuming tradition at this point, that I need to take her as my wife if I am going to have a Turkana name and then take her to America. I am now at a loss for words completely caught off guard not sure how to respectfully say no that I cannot marry her and take her as my wife. As I am about to say no, she repeats the question now in a slightly louder yell, almost demanding. I recognize some of the same words, but still having no idea of what she is actually saying. Luckily Sammy and Margret were able to come to my rescue and talk her down, then shooing everyone away. I managed to then wave bye to my almost African Princess.

The Journey Begins

PDO has come to an end. I have met great people and made some good friends. Today I begin my journey to Kenya. We will be stopping in New York and London. My flight for New York will take off at 520pm and we should be in New York at approx. 735pm. We then leave New York at 1100pm and arrive in London at 1100am their time. After planned sight seeing in London during a 9 hour layover, we will be departing London at 800pm. Our arrival in Kenya should be at 630am Kenyan time.

I am super excited that my departure day has finally come. I look back at what God has done to prepare me for this journey. He has brought me through so much. I am so thankful that I have a heavenly Father who takes care of me and continuously blesses me.

Where ever you are just take a moment to thank God. Dwell on the fact that He loves you.

In Romans, Paul says:

⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  ⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  ⁸butGod shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  ⁹Since, therefore, we            have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Christ died for us and this is how the Father has showed his love for you an me.

On this journey pray for me that through whatever trials and work I attempt to do that Christ's love will be shown through me to the people of Turkana, Kenya. 

The journey begins...

Perfect Plan

Today was the first full day of PDO (Pre-Departure Orientation). I've spent a lot of time with the other interns and my teammate for the summer. It's amazing meeting people who are in different phases of life, but all who share the passion for where they will be going. Each and every person has a different story, but hearing how God has worked in their lives and brought them to this point and prepared them is incredible. God has a plan and it is perfect. God is good!

We did an exercise today in PDO that matched like personalities. It was remarkable because then we got to question other personalities in regards to how we could best incorporate them into problem solving and how to best work together, I saw many applications to this for the internship. It really dove into the interworkings of the dominate (lion), influential (otter), steadiness (golden retriever), and compliance (beaver) personalities. We asked question about situations and how they would react, adapt to other personalities, and how to get each unique personality involved. Todd (my teammate) and I have like personalities, which mesh great. We will work great in Turkana together, but it was a great learning experience and better prepared me for the task to soon be at hand.

God had really been preparing me mentally and spiritually to fly out on Tuesday. The verse that has defined my recent life has really resonated with me in this preparation.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18     As I heard about the possible hyena hunt, the church under the trees on the savannah, and the roughing it in the bush, I rejoiced in how God has worked in my life and brought me to this point. The continuous prayer I will need to be in to grow close to God and the prayer I will need from everyone back home gives me chills because I will need that constant prayer for God to give me strength and wisdom. I think of the will of Christ and how He has called me to this internship and I could not give more thanks to Him because of how He brought me out of darkness and into the light. God had a plan and His plan is perfect.

Where You Go I'll Go

It’s about one o’clock in the morning before I am about to embark on the greatest leap of faith in my life thus far. This summer I will be participating in a two month long internship with CMF International. God has presented me with this great opportunity and challenge to serve for the expansion of His kingdom and to proclaim His glory. I would like to ask everyone to be in prayer for the people in Kenya where I will be at; that people will hear about a savior and become part of His kingdom. Please be in prayer for the safety of our team. Lastly, please be in prayer that God will use this summer to mold me and help me grow deeper in Him. It is a humbling thought that the creator of the universe has blessed me so incredibly to be apart of kingdom work and to be able to go…

Go. This simple word has been floating about in my head as this day has approached. Here our some thoughts that I would like to share with you.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”—John 3:16

Jesus came to earth and became human. He was tempted and tried, but did not sin. He was beaten and persecuted. Then He died to take away our sin. But then, He rose from the dead.  He conquered the grave. He is alive and living today.

I don’t know about you, but that short true story compels me. It excites me! Does it excite you? Does it give you hope? Has it changed your life?

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”—Jesus

Jesus, Lord of everything has called you and me to go. His story is meant to be shared, whether it be to nations in Africa or to the unreached people who surround you everyday.  That story was meant to change lives.

While you are going through your everyday life, are you making disciples?

Does the power of the gospel in your life compel you to change the lives around you?

Are you go-ing?